This specification relates to digital image processing.
Some existing image processing techniques use patch-based techniques for manipulating content. The processing can involve analyzing or synthesizing patches (e.g., pixel groups) of image content. For example, patch-based approaches are used in denoising image and video content; enhancing image resolution such as performing super-resolution; compressing image content; changing image aspect ratio such as by retargeting; reshuffling of image content; stitching images together; editing image content; and performing texture synthesis. Patch-based methods can have benefits for synthesis operations. For example, structure, texture, repetitive patterns and redundancies can be treated.
Techniques have been tried for completing images in different ways, and they can rely on patch-based techniques. For example, hole-filling techniques exist that attempt to find content for a hole in an image by analyzing content elsewhere in the image. Cloning techniques exist where a user manually can select a source region which is then cloned to a target region to fill the hole.